Mapping What Works to Strengthen the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development: A Systematic Scoping Review

The development of secure bonds between children and adult carers, particularly parents, is determined by a complex ecosystem of relationships that includes parents, care providers in other settings, and the values and institutions that care for those who care for children. Here we conduct a scoping review to map scientific progress in the development of evidence based interventions across all levels of relational ecology of early child development, form families to communities, the connections between them, and the structures that support them. A systematic search for relevant studies was conducted across three databases: Ovid MEDLINE, PsychInfo, and Embase. A total of 4970 articles were retrieved, with a final retained set of 123 papers (30207 families across 110 unique interventions). Most intervention development has focused on the relationship between children and their mothers. Few interventions directly targeted father involvement in parenting, or broader systems of care within the family (e.g., grandparents) and beyond (e.g., early childcare workers, family friendly workplaces, and the healthcare system). Many population-based programs were situated within existing universal healthcare services for parents of newborns, highlighting scalability and potential for delivering programs proportionate to need. However, further work is needed to convert this potential scalability into a reality. Further investment in intervention development in relational systems beyond the family is urgently needed if we are to create the broader conditions needed to ensure that emotional bonds between children and their adult carers can flourish.